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When a Picture Tells the Story

The graphic pictured at left (courtesy of Dr. Carl E. Misch from his textbook Dental Implant Prosthetics) is a dramatic illustration of what can happen to your jaw bone over time if all of your teeth have been removed. If the jaw bone is allowed to deteriorate so severely, there are few options left in terms of treatment.

The jaw bone pictured at the bottom of the graphic will not allow the use of conventional dentures, and is no longer stable enough to allow for surgical implantation of root forms for dental implants. The only course of treatment might involve bone grafts to restore the bone, and then dental implants to prevent reoccurrence of the problem.

The patient pictured at right is clearly suffering from facial collapse. From a cosmetic standpoint, people with facial collapse generally look much, much older than they are. From a functional standpoint, facial collapse can be a serious health issue. Getting proper nutrition is exceedingly difficult when eating is painful and you can not chew. And imagine what this does to your ability to communicate verbally. So much of our quality of life depends on our connection to others. Talking—and being understood when you do so—is an integral part of our human condition. Losing the ability to communicate clearly could cause many people to withdraw socially, to isolate themselves.